Kennedy Clark, a third-grader at Robert Frost Elementary, was recognized as a Kindness Hero this week for organizing a fruit stand that raised more than $3,000 for Westerville Christian Church’s Friday Fare program. The service provides food bags to WCSD children so they don’t go hungry over the weekend.
Westerville Mayor Kathy Cocuzzi, representatives from Neighbor2Neighbor Westerville and Clark’s family surprised her with the news at school on Tuesday.
“She’s got the biggest heart,” Clark’s mother, Nicole, said. “She just wanted to help people who couldn’t feed themselves.”
Clark opened her first fruit stand three years ago at age 5 after reading the book “Charley the Bulldog's Fantastic Fruit Stand.” Her father, Drew, built the stand while her mother worked with DNO produce to purchase fruit at a discounted rate. She opened her stand for a day and raised $1,250 for the Friday Fare program.
Clark wanted to reopen the stand the following year but the pandemic forced her to delay plans. With the support of her parents, she opened the stand in October in hopes of raising $2,000. She ended up with $3,885 in donations.
While Clark is reluctant to draw any attention to herself, her mother said receiving recognition as a Kindness Hero is special.
“That was so beautiful especially since the whole school is focused on kindness,” Nicole Clark said. “It’s such a big message right now, a better way to be an example for her peers. It doesn’t have to be something that major. It could be simple acts — smiling at somebody, holding the door. Just do something kind every day.”
Clark isn’t done with her fruit stand. She is already talking about next year and increasing her fundraising goal to $5,000.